The meaning behind offering shidori during Ganpati visarjan

The most emotional moment of Ganeshotsav is the visarjan, when Ganpati bappa is bid farewell. As he is sent off, an aarti is performed, naivedya is offered and prayers are held. At this time, many households also observe another tradition: giving bappa a shidori. Behind this shidori lies devotion, a sense of closeness and the feeling of lovingly seeing bappa off.

To understand what shidori actually is, one has to recall an old village tradition. In earlier times, when someone set out on a long journey, they would be given a bundle of food to take along. This was called shidori. It is believed that this same thought is behind the practice, followed by some families, of giving Ganpati bappa a shidori at the time of visarjan.

According to religious belief, devotees hold that after visarjan, Ganpati bappa returns to his home, that is, Kailash. With the feeling that bappa is setting out on a journey, he is given a shidori of food to take with him. This tradition is seen as symbolising a devotee's love and attachment more than simply providing food needed for a journey.

There is no fixed rule about what should be kept in the shidori. What is placed in it varies according to each family's and each region's own tradition. In some places curd-rice is kept, in others curd-poha. In some households laddus, or whatever sweet is available at home, is placed in the shidori.

Behind this entire tradition is the feeling that bappa is leaving from our home. Treating Ganpati as a member of the family and caring for him in this way is reflected in this ritual. That is why shidori is seen not merely as a bag of food but as a mark of devotion and closeness.

Like several other rituals of Ganeshotsav, the way of giving shidori is not the same in every household. It varies by region, community and family. In some families this tradition has continued for generations, while in many other homes it is not observed at all.

At the time of visarjan, chants of "Ganpati bappa morya, pudhachya varshi lavkar ya" ring out. Giving bappa a shidori, performing the aarti and lovingly bidding him farewell are rituals that reflect devotees' faith and their emotional bond with him. This tradition of shidori is mainly linked to folk traditions and family beliefs, and the way it is observed, as well as the items placed in it, are found to differ from region to region.